


Celebration of life

by StrangeNoise



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Birthday, Established Relationship, Fluff, Friendship, Gifts, Kissing, M/M, References to Depression, Slow Dancing, Surprises, caring for each other, soft, wee bit of anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 00:48:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20537420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrangeNoise/pseuds/StrangeNoise
Summary: Hank hates making a big deal of his birthday and everyone knows it. When it looks like Connor is going to do a big surprise party for him he is less than thrilled. But what is the android actually planning?





	Celebration of life

Hank wakes up on the 6th of September 2039 and wants to go right back to sleep. That in itself isn’t anything out of the ordinary but today the feeling intensifies tenfold. It’s his birthday and he doesn’t want to think about aging another year. Now don’t get him wrong, becoming older itself isn’t the issue. But the fact that everyone else is making such a big deal out of what is just a regular day is what bothers Hank. He just wants to be left alone. But he knows he can’t have that. 

Even Connor, who makes him turn around to whisper a soft ‘Happy Birthday’ to him and kiss him can’t lift Hank’s mood. He would love to stay in bed with the brunet all day but he has to go to work. A dumb decision not to ask for his birthday off, he thinks in hindsight. At least that way he wouldn’t have to deal with people constantly bothering him about it. And to make matters worse Connor has taken the day off. For preparations, as he had told Hank, which doesn’t help making the lieutenant feel any better about today. 

“Be ready for a surprise tonight”, Connor tells him after he has forced him out of bed, into the shower and then into eating breakfast. Hank stops in his tracks as he is walking out of the front door and turns back around to stare at Connor incredulously. If there is one thing he has told the android countless times, it’s that he doesn’t want any surprises or parties for his birthday. Or worst of all: A surprise party. Would Connor just ignore him like that?

“Connor, what are you planning?”, he wants to know but the brunet only smiles at him and presses a quick peck to his lips before ushering him out the door.

“It’s a surprise!”, he repeats when Hank asks again, “You’ll have to wait until tonight! Be nice to people today!”

Hank has a sinking feeling that something big is waiting for him at home after work. The thought isn’t exactly pleasant. He never cared much for his birthday and even less for surprise parties. The idea of Connor planning some huge thing for when he gets home has his stomach in knots. He loves Connor to bits and would say yes to anything the android could suggest but he doubts he could convincingly pretend to enjoy some big birthday party all night long. But it’s not like he can change anything about it. He wants to make Connor happy but he wants to be left alone for his birthday even more. And as it seems there’s no way of getting both those things today. 

So Hank sighs and gets to work, looking over to Connor’s empty seat even more often than he does when the android is actually there. Throughout the day he has friends and coworkers come to his desk and congratulate him, make some small-talk – and every last one of them mentions how he will enjoy himself a lot tonight. By the time Fowler picks him up at his desk at 5 pm and tells him that Hank’s invited to drinks with him, no excuses accepted, the lieutenant is a nervous wreck. 

His nerves only settle slightly when he sits in a booth at a nice bar a few blocks away from the station and has a tumbler of whiskey in his hand. 

“To the next 54”, Fowler toasts and Hank rolls his eyes as they clink glasses. 

“Fuck you too, Jeffrey”, he mutters before taking a sip from his whiskey. It’s excellent and probably worth a small fortune. He’s glad his old friend is treating him tonight.

“Connor makes me want to live again but not that fucking long.”

Fowler snorts and drinks some of his own whiskey. They sit in companionable silence for a while, before they start talking about work and Fowler’s family and their respective pets. Half an hour in, it almost feels like all those years ago, before Cole had died and Hank had pushed everyone, even his oldest and closest friend, out of his life. He never realized it before but now Hank suddenly becomes aware of how much he missed spending time with Jeffrey. They know each other inside and out, conversation comes easy and the company is immensely enjoyable too. 

“I can’t fucking believe we haven’t done this in years”, Hank says after they’ve sat and talked for a little over an hour. Fowler hums in agreement and nods.

“Life got in the way”, he comments easily and empties his glass, “We both had things to deal with. But this is nice. We should do it more often than every five years.”

“Definitely”, Hank agrees and the two men smile at each other for a moment. They’re both old enough to know not to make promises. If they agree on doing this every month or so, they’ll never make it. But if they keep it a loose promise, they might just be able to make time for each other often enough to mend their friendship. The thought of that makes Hank feel all warm and bubbly inside, his earlier worries gone. 

Until Fowler receives a text, that is.

“Connor says his preparations are done and you’re expected at home”, he announces with a lopsided smirk. He knows of Connor’s quirks; has seen how they can benefit or hinder an investigation and has chosen not to comment on it and leave Hank to figure things out. Fowler also knows Connor makes Hank happier than he has been in years and that’s all that matters to him, or so he had told Hank in a quiet moment almost six months ago. 

“You’re not coming with me?”, Hank asks his anxiety back with full force. He had been enjoying himself so far. If it were up to him, this companionable bar night shouldn’t have ended before midnight at least. But it seems his partner has other plans and he’s not about to spoil them.

“Nah, Liz is waiting for me back home”, Fowler says before walking up to the bar to settle their bill.

“Don’t look so terrified”, he tells Hank when he returns and they leave the building together, “Connor knows you well and he would never do anything to hurt you – intentionally or not.” Hank nods. He knows it is true. Yet he can’t say his brain is wholly convinced. 

He and Fowler make their way back to the station and part ways in the parking garage. Hank sits in his ancient car for a minute or two, taking deep, calming breaths before he feels strong enough to make the drive home. Later, he doesn’t remember much of it due to nervousness but he remembers being relieved to not be seeing too many unfamiliar cars gathered around his house. Maybe Connor only invited a few colleagues. 

When Hank finally enters the house, it is blissfully quiet except for the sound of one of his favorite jazz records playing in the living room. As he toes off his shoes and hangs up his jacket, Hank finds there’s also a delicious smell hanging in the air. If he’s guessing correctly, it’s one of his favorite dishes. Only now does he realize how hungry he is. He had barely been able to eat anything all day and now that he’s calmed down a little, his stomach demands to be filled. 

Once he makes it to the kitchen, Hank is greeted by the sight of Connor and Connor alone. The last bit of tension melts from his shoulders when the android turns to him and greets him with a hug and a kiss. 

“Dinner will be ready in about half an hour”, he announces as he takes Hank’s hand, “Would you like to dance until then?” Hank would have much rather had something to eat right now but he can’t resist Connor’s soft, brown puppy-eyes. He lets the brunet guide him to the living room, where Connor has pushed all furniture to the side to create a small space for them to dance in. If they are being honest, it’s not actually dancing. They sway in one spot, arms wrapped tightly around each other. One of Connor’s hands, as well as his head, rest on Hank’s shoulder and he presses gentle kisses to the older man’s neck now and again. 

Being close to someone else like this is only one of the many things Hank has missed in the past years. Not that he would have ever actively sought it out. He was far too curled up in his ball of self-pity and hurt to even dare reach out to anyone. But now that he has Connor in his life, he can finally have this again. And he makes good use of it by pulling the brunet as close as he can to his own body and keeping him there, feeling warmth exchanging between their bodies. 

They move slowly, soaking in the other’s presence. Hank can hardly hear the record being played at times because he’s so focused on how good it feels to have Connor in his arms. It’s warm and intimate without being too physical. The connection between them almost visible to the naked eye. Hank can’t remember ever being so in love and he wants this moment to last forever. 

There’s just one thing that is driving him crazy and threatens to destroy the mood for him.

“Are you ever going to tell me why you made me think I would be coming home to some big surprise party when that’s clearly not what you planned?”, Hank asks after a few minutes. The question had been gnawing at him and as much as he doesn’t want to destroy the mood, he wants to know. Luckily, Connor only chuckles softly.

“Well, I knew you would want to spend a quiet night in for your birthday because you’re not one for big celebrations”, the brunet explains, “But I felt, because we do that so often, you might not appreciate as much as you would think. So I made you think you wouldn’t get the thing you want so you’d be extremely happy to receive it after all.” Hank laughs for almost a full minute as they continue swaying through the living room. Connor is grinning too, looking rather satisfied with himself.

“Now that’s just evil”, Hank comments. Connor doesn’t seem upset by it, though. He rather smirks and presses his body against Hank’s even more.

“Sumo is with Mrs. Smith tonight”, Connor informs him moments later, “We have the whole house to ourselves. We’re well and truly alone tonight.” His words cause gooseflesh to rise all over Hank’s arms. An announcement such as this means that the night is undoubtedly going to end in the bedroom and he has absolutely no complaints about that. As Hank lets his hands run across Connor’s back for a few seconds, he feels the lace and clasp of a bralette. He growls low in his throat and latches onto Connor’s neck with his lips and tongue. The android sighs contentedly in his arms. Hank pulls him closer but Connor wriggles out of his grip.

“Not now, Hank”, he chides with a warm smile on his face, “We wouldn’t want dinner to go to waste. And you have gifts to unwrap.” Hank wants to say something about one of them standing right in front of him and refusing to be unwrapped but he doesn’t want to offend Connor by ruining his no doubt perfectly planned evening. 

Connor, still smiling, makes Hank sit down on the couch, then turns to retrieve some boxes from a cabinet nearby. Hank would have danced with Connor for the rest of the night but he isn’t going to complain about this either. The brunet eventually returns and puts he boxes in his lap, handing them to Hank one after the other.

“This one is from Detective Collins and Captain Fowler”, he tells Hank as he hands him the first box. The lieutenant unwraps it and peers inside to find a box of the only chocolate he really likes and a record by one of his favorite bands. There’s a note attached to it instructing Hank to use this whenever he has a night off and wants to relax. The older man can’t help but smile. Even after all these years his friends still know his tastes so well it’s ridiculous. He vows right then and there to do something nice for them in return soon.

But first, he has other boxes to unwrap. The next one is wrapped so neatly that Hank doesn’t even need Connor to tell him that it’s from Nines and Gavin to guess as much. Androids have one setting for wrapping gifts and he’s seen Connor do it before. It’s only natural that Nines would be the same. Smiling at himself, Hank carefully undoes the neat wrapping and opens the box. First, he pulls out a bottle of very expensive whiskey that he’s undoubtedly going to save for a very special occasion. The second part of the gift has him bursting into laughter yet again.

“Detective Reed chose those himself”, Connor explains as Hank holds the ice cube trays in the shape of small dogs out to the android, “He thought they were funny and that you would like them.” 

“Well, I guess I have to thank him one of these days”, Hank comments, still grinning at the mere thought of how ridiculous the ice cubes he’s going to make are going to look in his whiskey. He puts his gifts back into their box and waits for Connor to hand him the next. 

“This is mine”, the android announces proudly, if a little nervously. Hank doesn’t even need to look at his LED to guess that it is probably yellow. The older man nods and undoes the same meticulous wrapping he had opened just a few moments ago. Connor’s gift consists of two tickets for a concert of Hank’s favorite band and a shirt that promotes their upcoming tour. 

“Holy shit, thanks Con”, Hank mutters, more than a little overwhelmed, “I was thinking about getting tickets myself but then I figured I was too old to go to metal concerts anymore…”

“You’re never too old to do things you enjoy”, Connor insists seriously. Then, a smile breaks out all over his face as Hank pulls him in for another kiss. 

“Thank you so much”, Hank whispers against his lips a few moments later, “I’m guessing this second ticket means I’m going to take you along?” 

“Well, you’re free to choose whoever you want to go to that concert with you”, Connor tells him, “But I’d be more than excited to go to my first ever concert.” Hank chuckles at that. Sometimes he tends to forget that Connor has only been around for a little more than a year and there’s so much for him to discover still.

“I’d be glad to take you with me”, he says and they kiss again. But just as he really sinks into it, Hank hears an alarm go off in the kitchen. He tries to cling to Connor, make their little make-out session last just a little bit longer. But the android wriggles free from his grip and rises to his feet gracefully. It’s moments like this, where Hank couldn’t care less about Connor’s plans that don’t care for moods or enjoying things. But he doesn’t want to disappoint and he can always teach the brunet not to plan a birthday like a military operation another day.

“Dinner’s ready”, Connor announces and holds a hand out to help Hank get up too.

“I can still get off the couch on my own just fine, you know?”, he grouses, slipping back into his grumpy old man routine for a bit, “I’m not that old!” But he smiles as he says it and puts the boxes and wrapping paper to the side. In the end, he still takes Connor’s hand but only because he enjoys the warmth of it in his own so much. Hank has half a mind to just pull Connor close and dance with him a little more but his stomach reminds him of how very hungry he is indeed. 

So Hank follows Connor to the kitchen, where he is made to sit down while the brunet plates his food. Hank guessed right when he came home: it is his favorite dish. It was the first of the new and healthy dishes Connor had introduced to his diet and one of the few that stuck around to this day. The dish, consisting mainly of chicken, vegetables and a delicious sauce, reminded Hank of something his mother used to prepare when he was a child and he likes it even more now that Connor is cooking it for him. 

They sit in companionable silence through most of the dinner. Connor watching Hank happily, seeming very satisfied with himself and how tonight has unfolded according to his plans. Hank likes to see his partner like this, all happy and at ease with himself. It has been hard to get him there and there are parts of the last few months Hank doesn’t remember too fondly. But he figures it feels the same way for Connor. He hasn’t always been the perfect boyfriend – is far from it, even now – but Connor doesn’t seem to mind. It makes Hank’s love and adoration for his partner grow more and more each day. 

He finishes dinner in the same comfortable silence and when Connor gets up to put his plate and cutlery in the dishwasher, Hank asks: “So, what did you do all day while I was gone?” 

“Oh, just some preparations”, Connor says vaguely but with his lips curling into a suggestive smile. The last time he looked at Hank like that he had introduced copious amounts of spanking into their sex life and Hank is now eager to find out what his partner is planning this time around. He rises to his feet and wraps his arms around Connor from behind, pressing his large front to Connor’s slim back in a way he knows the brunet likes.

“Thank you”, Hank whispers into the nape of his neck, pressing a soft kiss there, “This is the best birthday I’ve had in ages.” He doesn’t see it, but he can practically feel Connor break out into a huge smile at his words. There’s probably a big “mission accomplished” sign blinking somewhere in his field of vision and Hank chuckles a little at the thought. 

“I didn’t put you through too much stress by making it seem like this was going to be some big party, did I?”, Connor asks sheepishly as he turns around, doing his best to look like he would be sorry if that were the case. He probably would be but he must know that Hank would never hold a grudge against him and therefore doesn’t seem too concerned. And Hank does shake his head. It was scary while it lasted but now that that’s over, he couldn’t care less about the dirty tricks Connor used to make this experience as enjoyable as it currently is. 

“It was fine”, Hank says and smiles at Connor, “Kind of weird, though, having Gavin be this nice to me all day.” 

“I might have threatened him a bit”, Connor admits, a light blush spreading across his cheeks. The confession makes Hank burst into laughter. He would have loved to be around when Connor threatened Gavin to be nice to his boyfriend on his special day. Maybe he can convince Connor to show him the recording of it.

For now, Hank makes do with maneuvering both himself and Connor back towards his chair, pulling the brunet into his lap and wrapping an arm around his back. The android goes willingly and soon they are kissing again. One of Connor’s hands combs through Hank’s hair while one of Hank’s rubs soothing circles into the artificial muscles on Connor’s lower back. There is no heat, no urgency. Hank is looking forward to taking this to the bedroom but whether that happens now or in two hours, he doesn’t care. He revels in Connor’s presence as much as he knows the android does in his.

Sometimes, he still thinks all of this is a dream, that someone will wake him up one day and he’ll be in his bed all alone again. The thought makes his heart clench in his chest and his arms wrap around Connor a little tighter. For years Hank thought he would never find someone, who would love him, again and now that he has Connor, he never wants to lose him. Luckily, the brunet seems to feel the same way. He is still young and Hank is painfully aware that feelings might change but for now, Connor doesn’t seem to want to go anywhere. And Hank will forever be grateful for that.

“I love you so much”, Hank mutters when they break their kiss for a few moments, his forehead resting against Connor’s, “And thank you. For everything.” Connor smiles brilliantly and presses a gentle kiss to Hank’s forehead.

“I love you too, Hank”, he replies and it makes gentle warmth spread all throughout the lieutenant’s body. They stay like this for a while longer, just taking in each other’s presence and enjoying the other’s company. Time seems to freeze and Hank never wants it to start passing again. If the rest of his life could be one long, beautiful moment with Connor, he would take it over anything else. And the best thing about this is the knowledge that the brunet feels the same way about him.

Hank helped Connor find himself and in return, the android has given him a reason to want to live again. Their relationship isn’t always perfect but it gives them both more than they could have ever asked for. Looking into Connor’s eyes, Hank realizes that while for the past years he wished he wasn’t even born, he is finally ready to celebrate his life again.

**Author's Note:**

> Yay! More dbh birthday fluff! I'm not 100% sure but I might add a nsfw second part to this. Would people want that?  
Comments and kudos are much appreciated! You can also come say hi on twitter @NoiseStrangest !


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